Rifle Painting: Blending In

There is nothing that visually stands out more than a rifle. It can be a modern urban environment, a dusty village in Iraq, or the middle of dense bush and the first thing that will grab someone’s eye will be the shape of a rifle.

Camouflaging your equipment can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Here are three techniques for custom rifle painting.

Sponging

You can be wearing great camouflage and blend into your environment, but a black weapon attracts attention like a clown at a funeral. Notice how the solid green pants stand out; stick to the idea that camouflage does its best to replicate nature’s random patterns.

“Sponging,” using a rough sponge to blot on color, is one of the easiest techniques to use when painting your gun. Most people who have painted the inside of a home are familiar with this interior decorating standard.

The first step is to tape off any areas that you don’t want to be painted or damaged, such as the lens and dials on optics, and iron sights. Make sure you cover other areas that are critical to its operations, such as the muzzle crown or bolt.

After donning a pair of gloves, I degrease the weapon to ensure there isn’t any oil present. Depending on the weapon, you may need to prep the surface by lightly scuffing the parts. If you have wood stocks — especially anything with a slick clear finish — you may need to take extra time and sand it. Once you’ve prepared the surface, degrease again.

Spray a base coat using at least two colors, and blend one into the other to create the “blurring” effect. Then, taking a coarse painting sponge (available at any major hardware store or craft shop), sponge the next color onto the areas where the base colors meet.

I cut the sponge into different sizes and shapes and constantly rotate the shapes so I don’t end up with a repetitive pattern. To apply the paint to the sponge, just spray it until it’s good and moist, then sponge until it’s dry. Then repeat.

Once this is done, I’ll sometimes use a fourth color and sponge on the highlights using a lighter color, or create shadowed areas using a darker paint.

6 thoughts on “Rifle Painting: Blending In”

I have painted a few rifles now from 65/55 to a 300 rum in order to make paint stick to a rifle you first need to remove all blueing then apply a acid etching primer it has to be a light coat so you can see through it then apply base coat then clear .Yes if you do not seal up your barrel and trigger it is a tight mare to clean out .I am using automotive paint but I know how it works about barrel whip and coefficient of linear expansion. If you do not know what you are doing I recommend leaving it alone .If I knew how to put a pick on hear I would show you the work I have done, and yes these rifles do get used .

Remember this: Any time you alter a factory firearm you decrease its value tremendously. What is the ‘cats meow” to you will be a “frankenmonster” to the majority of future prospective buyers. You may very well end up getting half of what the gun would have been worth if you had left it in its original factory configuration.

NOooooooooo! Painting with rattle cans (Krylon, et al) or Automotive Paints is quite often a recipe for disaster!

Pony up the extra $$$ for real applied finishes such a KG Gunkote, Cerakote, or Duracoat! Your prep & application times will be similar & everything ultimately relies on the prep!!!

The spray cans will NOT hold up & will not be repellant to abrasion & solvents used on firearms! As a professional firearms finisher, the only time we advocate basic spray paints is for temporary use by “operators” for mission specific camo. Even in that instance, we recommend a base coat of a true applied finish, followed by VERY LIGHT spray paint patterns…this enables the spray paint finish to be flushed off back to a base coat by simply spraying the firearm down with carb/brake cleaner!

Ultimately the mil thickness of spray paint can gum up internal workings, especially if it gets loosened by solvent!

If you’re gonna spent the time to do it…do it right the first time…You won’t be sorry!

Although I haven’t painted a rifle yet, I did conduct some tests a while back with camo patterns and coating durability. The results suggested that slow-dry (4-10 hours drying time in hot sun) enamel and epoxy paints exhibited the best long term performance. Paints from Aervoe Industries, which has a wide variety of hunting camo and military pattern paints, come to mind. If flat finish paints are not available in the desired colors/patterns, you can overcoat with a compatible matte finish clear coat.

As an experienced Applied Firearms Finisher you need to be VERY cautious when using any “rattle can” or automotive finish on a firearm. Simply put, they are NOT intended for these surfaces & will not endure!!! If anything, they will gum up & make a firearm unusable if allowed to get into internal workings!

“Krylon” & similar over the counter finishes can make a decent temporary finish but if you want an effective finish pony up the extra $$$ for the correct product or send it to a professional finisher. KG Gunkote, Cerakote, Duracoat, & the like are what you need to use. When properly applied they will NOT chip, abrade, or run with solvents.

We do however, occasionally provide base-coated applied finishes to operators so that they can use the “rattle cans” for a mission specific camo, which can be rinsed off back to its original applied finish via a good dousing with Carb/Brake Cleaner!

The few extra $$$ for the correct product will save you TONS of time! TIP..A Successful finish is in the PREP!!!